And Then . . .

I marvel each time I get something done in the garden -- I am 76 years old! It amazes me how I can still do the things I want to, slowly and not as vigorously. My garden is small, I can manage it.

But I'm very aware that could all change. That nagging thought is always with me even as I feel good about what I can still do.

And then . . .

I fell and hurt (broke?) my foot.

After the Coates tree trimmers left I noticed the big brown pot that I like nestled in the juniper under the cottonwood had been moved. I picked it up to move it back.

It was too heavy and I knew that. So I rolled it a bit, but then hefted it up to just totter a few feet with it. Just a few feet.

I crashed. I tumbled over, the pot hit my foot and I landed in a heap in the gravel. 

Now I am laid up, icing a nasty big swollen foot that is painful to walk on. The back of my leg hurts too, I stretched out the muscle behind the knee.

I am so mad at myself for lifting that thing when I knew I couldn't. I could have rolled it just the few more feet to its spot under the tree.

And now my garden chores and outdoor puttering on these warm late winter days are over. I'm inside, icing and taking Advil.

I'm not so amazed any more at my elderly capabilities in the garden.

Juniper Haircuts

Coates came and pruned the cottonwood and two of the junipers -- the tall skinny one by the garage door which was getting top heavy and the spreading Pfitzer juniper which was encroaching over onto the driveway.

Not inexpensive -- $1,900. Several guys were here for two hours. They did a nice enough job.

I was really hoping they could trim the spreading juniper by the driveway to look natural and I was concerned about getting it off the driveway. But neither was possible.

They did what they could, but it's not much of a difference, except it looks rounder. It does have a subtle shaped curve now. But instead of pruning out the bottom to keep a slightly arched look, they pruned the top edge and left the bottom still well out over the driveway.

So while it looks natural enough, the shape is heavy at the bottom where I had wanted it pruned, and more rounded at the top where I liked the upward spray of branches. It's the reverse of what I wanted.

In fairness, pruning out the bottom exposed brown stems, which is a horrible look, so they really couldn't do much there. 

I'm wondering if I can now try to do some more shaping at the bottom without exposing brown stems -- I can try a bit. 

It's less daunting than the thought of a total pruning job myself. At least a lot of it is done and carted away.

← But the tall skinny juniper by the garage door was well pruned. It's still an awkward tree in an unsuitable place, but it looks much better.

The cottonwood looks better too, although it is hard to tell until the leaves come out, and it is unfortunately lopsided from the slime flux problem on one side.

But they cleaned up the look quite a bit.

A.I. Garden Help

I've been having fun creating and modifying pictures on Gemini A.I. to see what tweaks I could make to my garden design. It's usually a bit off when creating whole garden scenes (not everything blooms at once or so prolifically). It comes up with some odd distortions. 

But for a simple request to compare two plants, it was really helpful. 

I wanted to compare Rocky Mountain penstemon (in my High Country Gardens order) and Black Adder agastache (I'll divide the pot of it that I have) both of which I'm going to plant in the new strip I'm adding between the birdbath and the left edge of the potting bench curve. 

Both are purple spiky flowering plants, quite similar looking, but I needed to compare bloom times, sizes, preferred conditions, etc.

Rocky Mountain penstemon versus agastache Black Adder

So I asked Google Gemini to compare the two and within seconds I had this really helpful and concise information, even a chart. I think it's accurate.

Response from Gemini --

Both 

Rocky Mountain Penstemon (Penstemon strictus) and 'Black Adder' Agastache (Agastache hybrid) are popular purple-flowering perennials known for their drought tolerance and ability to attract pollinators. Their primary differences lie in their bloom timing, foliage scent, and growth habit. 

Key Comparison

Feature	Rocky Mountain Penstemon	'Black Adder' Agastache
Bloom Time	Late Spring to Early Summer (brief, intense)	Mid-Summer to Fall (extended blooming)
Flower Color	Deep lavender to royal purple	Red-violet flowers from dark, smoky buds
Foliage	Smooth, dark green; non-aromatic	Blue-green; strong anise/mint scent
Hardy	USDA Zones 3–9 (very cold hardy)	USDA Zones 5–9 (prefers well-drained soil)
Height	24–36 inches	24–36 inches

Detailed Differences

• Flowering Window: Penstemon provides a spectacular but relatively short display in late spring, often acting as a bridge between spring bulbs and summer perennials. 'Black Adder' is a "season extender," blooming continuously for several months until the first frost.
• Aromatic Qualities: 'Black Adder' belongs to the mint family; its leaves release a spicy liquorice scent when crushed, which also makes it highly deer and rabbit resistant. Rocky Mountain Penstemon does not have fragrant foliage.
• Soil Requirements: While both are drought-tolerant, 'Black Adder' Agastache is particularly sensitive to "wet feet" in winter. It requires exceptional drainage to survive cold seasons, whereas Rocky Mountain Penstemon is more adaptable to various garden soils as long as they are not boggy.
• Growth Habit: Penstemon tends to form a basal rosette of leaves with tall, vertical flower spikes. 'Black Adder' forms a bushier, more branched upright clump with multiple "bottlebrush" flower heads. 

• 
  

Winter Sunshine Surprises

The single bloom on one of the two hellebores has now opened. 

It's a spot of sunshine in winter. A perfect little flower, although it is downward facing and you have to get the camera under it to see what it looks like. 

But even from above the yellow shines in the winter light.

The other hellebore has green leaves but no sign yet of a bud or any blooms to come. Hellebores don't typically bloom in the first couple years so I need to wait for a while. 

The first flowers on this one are a surprise. And there is a second bud about to open too.

The winter sun also lights the tiny branches of the newly transplanted serviceberry and that has surprised me too.

I am caught each time I look out through the glass door or come in the other way through the gate.

Winter sunlight hits the thin limbs and slender whip of a stem. It just lights up. 

Morning sun catches the tiny tree, and afternoon sun bathes it. 

It's such a nothing little set of twigs, yet in the winter sunshine it is a noticeable accent in the garden. 

I may regret putting a 15 foot tree in this enclosed spot and I may not be able to limb it up enough to eventually walk under. It might look too crowded in time, but it just looks right in its new spot. 

The sun knows it and wants me to see how fine it looks right there.

A New Vision

At the very end of 2025, I impulsively took out the skinny Blue Arrow juniper by the fence and that unleashed a torrent of changes for 2026. 

I moved the birdhouse in front of the fence to have something to look at, then arranged a moss rock border in front of it and imagined the perennials I wanted to put in there.

Then I was ordering plants, lots of them -- penstemon and verbascum and then more things to enhance the other spaces I have and I even moved things like the serviceberry and the Jackmanii clematis. 

I ordered plants to weave among the rock border stones along the walkway, and things to fill empty spots.

Everything was suddenly in play as I imagined a new vision for my garden: lusher, busier, more filled up.

Before that one act of taking out the juniper I had been cautiously conservative about changes. I wanted to edit down, streamline, wait for structural items to fill in, keep a more open and spare garden.

I had originally created separate rooms and levels -- the circle garden bordered and surrounded by a line of rocks, cut off from the lower flagstone patio, which ended even with the raised deck, separated from the garden under the aspens behind it, which was further bounded by the step down to the potting bench level.

Now I suddenly wanted flow, with the entire long narrow space tied together. I envisioned lots of plants and a fuller look all blending together, extending from the garage wall down through the yard to the aspens, skirting the deck and patio, filling out against the fence. Yikes.

A whole new vision. 

Bun Balls and a Bud

It's still February and I have finished almost all my spring chores. It was just so nice and pleasant and after I spread mulch and prepped some new planting areas, I went out one afternoon and cut back the perennials.

I left the one Japanese forest grass alone, though. In winter it is tawny and dried, but still full of grace and movement. I'll cut that one back much closer to actual spring.

I also left the Blonde Ambition grasses uncut. They too are attractive in winter and almost the only thing to look at out there.

The three blue fescue grasses in the red pots got cut back though. I did not shear them in prior years and they have gotten overgrown and floppy in their pots. Two did not bloom last year. 

So this winter I sheared them right down to little rounded bun balls.

I planned to take them out and plant each in some spot in the ground. But I think I'll wait and see if they fill out in the pots. 

Most advice is to simply rake out dried grass fronds but not to cut back these cool season grasses. Other sources say to cut them completely down to a few inches. Maybe either approach is fine? Let's see what they do in spring.

And here's something - one of the two Spanish Flare hellebores has a big fat bud. I want more of these, but I'll wait to see how they look in summer when they go dormant.

Key points regarding summer dormancy:

• Appearance: Leaves might look tired, brown, or flat, but it is normal, they bounce back when cooler weather returns.
• Watering: Reduce watering in the summer, they do not need as much moisture while dormant. Overwatering in summer can lead to issues.
• Maintenance: Avoid cutting back foliage during this time, as they need it for energy. The best time to remove old, tattered leaves is late winter.
• Sun Protection: They prefer to be in shady areas, which helps manage their summer dormancy. They will resume growth and produce new foliage once temperatures drop.

Well, Why Not

On Sunday I spread 5 bags (2 cu. feet each) of bark mulch to cover the new areas where I had put down cotton bur compost and topsoil. I don't want it to dry out in the sun and blow away in the March winds.

Then I came in, showered and made myself a gin and tonic. Just like summer.

Why not -- it felt like summer, my body was tired from the work, the sun was lovely and after a warm day outside working hard I like to treat myself to a gin and tonic.

But that's always been a refreshing summer ritual after a day in the garden. A hot weather indulgence.

This is still February.

After the half inch of rain it warmed up again and I got the moist soil covered. And because the new mulch is chunky and light colored, I had to spread more of it over existing areas to match up and look cohesive.

I continue to marvel at the fact that I can still do this. I am 76.

I work slowly now but I get it done. Rock moving, mulch spreading all of an afternoon, and when the time comes in spring, digging and planting. 

With all these pleasant February afternoons and with new soil and fresh mulch I am ready for the digging and planting right now! My gin and tonic reinforced the summery garden-ready vibe and I despair to think we have two and a half months to go before I can make my garden vision come alive. That's 10 weeks at least.

Oh well, it's nice now. And my sparkling drink was so restorative after all that work.

 

Winter Rain

It's felt like summer on so many pleasant afternoons this month with hot sun, nights above freezing and little breeze.

Now it feels like refreshed spring. We got half an inch of rain overnight. 

Everything is dormant of course, but still, the soil and the air seem restored and clean. Especially the areas of fresh compost and topsoil that I had just put down along the rock borders and in the new strip of garden along the fence.

I even brought out the pots from the garage to give them a soaking and then let them warm up in the sun after the rain.

The rain barrel is capped for winter, so water just poured off it all around it.

This is so unusual. It's still deep winter!!